Dead Manís Rule

In Dead Man's Rule, Rick Acker takes readers of legal thrillers into a world of legal technicalities, international terrorism, and biological weapons.

The financial straits of starting his own law office, force Ben Corbin into accepting Mikhail Ivanovsky, an elderly man in an ancient suit, as a client. Ivanovsky purchased a safe-deposit box that had long been unopened in storage from petty criminal Nicki Zinoviev, but Zinoviev then sold the box to The Brothers for a much larger sum. Claiming that the box contains jewelry, Ivanovsky wants Ben to prevent the safe-deposit box from going to The Brothers with a temporary restraining order.

What had looked straight-forward to Ben grows increasingly dangerous as Zinoviev dies. Zinoviev's attorney, Anthony Simeon, one of Chicago's most prominent lawyers, provokes the Dead Man's Rule, which prevents Ivanovsky from testifying. Ben also receives a call from FBI agent and personal friend, Elena Kamenev requesting that Ben keep her up on the case because Ivanovsky is a "person of interest."

Person of interest indeed! Ivanovsky has a secret from his past, a secret that could destroy Ben's career. If what Ivanovsky says about the safe-deposit box is true, it could devastate the world if allowed to fall into the wrong hands. When people start dying and Ben's private eye, Sergei Spassky, is attacked in his bed, it becomes obvious that someone else does know what is in that box, and they intend to get it, regardless of who stands in the way!

Acker writes in a straight-forward style that compels the reader to read just one more chapter--again and again. Although some of the secondary women characters such as Noelle Corbin are a little bland, he draws his major characters strongly. Working Ben Corbin's background into the story better would make the second chapter more interesting, but the background information doesn't last too long.

Acker foreshadows with skill and unwinds the story artfully all the way to a powerful climax. -- Debbie W. Wilson, Christian Book Previews.com

Book Jacket:

A virulent biological weapon is hiding in a bank vault in Chicago, a notorious Russian gang is fighting to obtain it . . . and a legal technicality may hand it over to them without question. Itís up to one man to dig deep into his reservoir of legal knowledge and personal courage to prevent such a tragedy in this Grisham-like legal thriller.